ESCWA WEEKLY NEWS No. 59

Artificial intelligence strategy for Lebanon

On 31 January, ESCWA hosted a focus group meeting to discuss the development of an artificial intelligence (AI) strategy for Lebanon, based on a request raised last October by the Ministry of State for Investment and Technology.

Discussions involved 25 professionals working in AI from the education and research and development sectors, as well as from startups and the civil society. Former Minister Adel Afiouni also attended the meeting and said that several AI initiatives were being discussed with the private sector.

Participants’ input contributed to the assessment of the national context of AI. Discussions also tackled the needs, plans and focus areas that should be included in the draft AI strategy. The meeting’s outcomes will be integrated in a report entitled “Towards a Strategy for AI in Lebanon”, to be issued by ESCWA later this year.

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Open government and open data in Palestine

On 29 and 30 January, 25 officials from the Palestinian Government attended a national workshop in Ramallah on open government and open data, organized by ESCWA in collaboration with the Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Technology.

The workshop focused on building the capacities of participants using the ESCWA framework for open government and included sessions on open data strategy, legal aspects of open data, open data platforms and the reuse of data.  

A study on Palestinian readiness to adopt open data was discussed. The workshop was also an avenue to present case studies that demonstrate the opportunities created by open data for institutional development and inclusive sustainable development.

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Social Protection Reform in Arab Countries

This ESCWA report discusses recent and ongoing social protection reforms in Arab countries. Social protection is a human right for all members of society. Social protection systems shape trust in government, and increase social cohesion, social justice and social solidarity in any given society.

The report argues that an integrated “systems approach” to social protection will ensure better coherence across the different core components, such as social insurance, health care services and social assistance. It further views that social protection systems need to be well integrated into other social policies, such as those pertaining to labour, education, poverty alleviation, rural and urban development, and social services sectors in general.

Finally, the report concludes that social protection systems require broad-based social dialogue to be perceived as fair and reliable.

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Did you know...

… that migration impacts the lives of millions of people in the Arab region? This includes workers and students searching for better opportunities, people fleeing war, disaster or persecution, and families of migrants.

In 2017, the Arab region hosted 38 million migrants. Arab countries attract millions of migrant workers. In Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC) alone, migrants make up more than 50% of the population.

The potential of migrants for boosting sustainable development is immense – whether in their new homes as workers and active members of the community, or in their countries of origin by sending money to their families.

Photo credit: SilvaAna

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